ESPN analyst, former Steeler Merril Hoge encourages C-H students to pursue their passions
Former Steelers running back Merril Hoge told students at Chartiers-Houston High School on Friday about his improbably journey to the NFL and his battle against non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Matt Bucha, left, takes a few photos of classmate Nate Miklos with former NFL player Merril Hoge after Hoge’s lecture to students Friday at Chartiers-Houston High School.
Merril Hoge knew when he was 12 years old that he wanted to play in the National Football League.
But, the ESPN football analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back told students at Chartiers-Houston Junior/Senior High School during an appearance Friday morning the people in his life with whom he shared his goal discouraged him. It was impossible, they said.
Hoge made it happen.
Hoge told students his life philosophy is “Find a way,” a message he pinned to a cork board above his bed when he was 12.
The mantra helped Hoge realize his goal to become a professional football player and to beat non-Hodgkins lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2003.
Hoge’s visit was sponsored by Allegheny Health Network. He shared personal experiences, including recent open heart surgery, and encouraged students to be persistent when they pursue their passions.
After showing video footage of highlights from his years with the Steelers – Hoge was a 10th-round draft pick who led the team in rushing in four out of seven years and set a team record for running backs when he caught 50 passes in 1988 – and clips of his battle with cancer, Hoge talked about how he decided to become an NFL player when he was in junior high school, “even though everyone told me don’t put all your eggs in one basket, that’s too hard.”
He told students that accomplishing a goal takes more than skill and ability. It takes commitment, too.
“When people said you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket, I never understood that theory. I think you can have more than one basket, and if you want to go after something, you have to be all in,” said Hoge.
Hoge said he also received inspiration from Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who told him during practice before his first game, “I didn’t keep you on the team to be a common football player. I need you to be uncommon.”
“What he was demanding was, ‘Don’t give me minimum effort, give me maximum effort,'” said Hoge, noting that his extra effort enabled him to play in 122 consecutive games.
Hoge personified the Pittsburgh Steelers as a hard-working overachiever who endeared himself to Steelers fans. Hoge said he might not have been as fast, big or strong as other players, but he worked hard, a lesson he learned from studying his childhood idol, Walter Payton.
“You do control where you want to go and how to get there,” said Hoge, who said he was an average student in school and enjoys sharing his story most with teenagers. “I’m here to tell you to hold onto your passion. I clearly remember sitting in those seats before. I know how significant this moment is in life, and there are so many things I learned in my journey that I wish I’d known when I sat in those seats. So to be able to come back here and be able to share some things with you, I get excited about that.”
Following the speech, Hoge stuck around to sign autographs for students and to chat briefly about sports and hunting.